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1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to method and apparatus for visually representing a surface that is represented by a three-dimensional set of data.
2. Related Art
In many types of systems, there is a need to ascertain information about one or more physical objects. Consequently, the objects are studied and data regarding the objects is obtained. For instance, three-dimensional data over a volume in space (volumetric data) can be obtained that represents the value of a quantity related to the object. In some light imaging systems, such as, for example, a confocal laser scanning microscopy system, the intensity of reflected light from an object and the object's surroundings yields information regarding properties of that object. For instance, the intensity of reflected light from points on or around the surface of an object is a function of the type of material present at the point at which the light is reflected.
It is desirable to be able to use the volumetric data to ascertain various information regarding the volume of space, i.e., object, being studied. For example, in the light imaging systems, characteristics of the object being imaged that may be of interest are the materials present in various regions of the object or the location of the surface of the object. Consequently, there is a need for methods that use the volumetric data to ascertain the desired information regarding the object.